Remember when June was turning to July and baseball writers and talking heads were all worried about this year's trade deadline being boring and uneventful? All those kneejerk reaction ideas to "fix" it to make it more exciting that were being thrown about look silly now, as we have one of the most eventful deadlines in recent memory. Big name players, small name players, and Brandon Moss got traded. The Indians even decided to open a series with a win to boot.
Here are your news and notes for Friday, July 31, 2015.
Indians 3, Athletics 1
Everyone named Carlos that played for the Tribe had a great time last night, as Carlos Carrasco and Carlos Santana both had big games to help the team take down the A's. (LetsGoTribe.com)
Despite the swirling trade rumors, Carlos Carrasco pitched a fantastic complete game, allowing only two hits and one run. It was the third straight complete game by Indians starters. (Indians.com)
Indians news & notes
The verdict on the Brandon Moss for Rob Kaminsky trade appears to be universal -- the Indians commited a robbery. MLB.com's Jim Callis has a great rundown on the trade, why it was valuable for the Indians and a short primer on Kaminsky for those unfamiliar with the Tribe's top pitching prospect. (MLB.com)
FanGraphs' take on the Moss/Kaminsky trade is more about what it means for the Cardinals (understandable, as they're in contention), but there are still a lot of great tidbits about Kaminsky in here. Worth a read if you cannot get enough of seeing just how many ways the Tribe won this trade. (FanGraphs.com)
With the trade deadline coming to an end at 4:00 p.m. Friday, you may think the Indians are done. If GM Chris Antonetti is to be believed, that is not the case. According to him, the front office will at least "be active," whether or not that means any trades actually happen. (Cleveland.com)
Wahoo's On First took a look at the Tribe's biggest trade six years ago when the team dealt Cliff Lee to the Philadelphia Phillies. Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald (sigh), Lou Marson (sigh) and Jason Knapp (SIIIIGGGHHH) all came over in the deal that kicked off a long rebuild for the Indians. (WahoosOnFirst.com)
Nick Swisher got sent back down to A-ball to play for the Lake County Captains during his rehab assignment. I have nothing to add here. (MiLB.com)
Around the league
Believe it or not, Brandon Moss for Rob Kaminsky trade was not the biggest deal of the day yesterday. That title goes to the three-team mega deal that landed Alex Wood, Mat Latos, Mike Morse and others on the Los Angeles Dodgers. All told, 13 players have new homes following the deal. (Dodgers.com)
The Toronto Blue Jays are not messing around. After trading for Troy Tulowitzki earlier in the week, they turned around on Thursday and got their ace in David Price. (MLB.com)
Unfortunately, the Detroit Tigers are smart and selling off as many pieces as they can in an effort to remain relevant for a few more years. Another big name, Joakim Soria, was sent packing to Pittsburgh in exchange for shortstop Jacoby Jones. (MLB.com)
Like so many Seattle Mariners hitters in recent years, Dustin Ackley has not lived up to the hype. The New York Yankees hope they squeeze something out of the second baseman turned outfielder, as they pried Ackley away from Seattle in a quick deal yesterday. In particular, the Yanks like his ability to play five positions. If his bat can ever work for him, this could turn into a steal for New York. (ESPN.com)
In other, slightly less important news, this guy (spday on reddit) is one beer away from drinking in every single MLB stadium. As someone who lives a good three to four hours from the nearest stadium, I am perpetually jealous of people that can do things like this. (Imgur.com)